This photo shows a Coast Guard boat, Italian fire boats and an Italian fire helicopter searching for six missing passengers after rescuing a victim from a sunken sailboat off the coast of Porticello, northwest Sicily, on August 19, 2024.
Alessandro Fucarini | AFP | Getty Images
Morgan Stanley International Chairman Jonathan Bloomer is among those missing after a luxury yacht sank in a storm off the coast of Sicily on Monday.
Civil Protection Agency of Sicily told reporters late Monday that Bloomer and Clifford Chance attorney Chris Morvillo were among the six still missing. Clifford Chance declined to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Bloomer is chairman of Morgan Stanley International, the investment giant’s London subsidiary, a non-executive post he has held since 2016. He is also chairman of insurer Hiscox.
Aki Hussain, chief executive of Hiscox Group, said Bloomer and his wife Judy were among those missing.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened by this tragic event,” Hussain said in a statement. “Our condolences go out to all those affected, especially the Bloomer family, as we all await further news on this terrible situation,” a Morgan Stanley spokesperson said.
Older brother tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter Hannah were also missing as search and rescue efforts continued on Tuesday.
The 56-metre (180-foot) sailing vessel “Bayesian” was hit by a violent storm at around 4am local time on Monday, with 10 crew members and 12 passengers on board. The moored vessel capsized near Porticello harbour about an hour later, with witnesses telling local media that the vessel sank rapidly after its roof broke.
One person, the ship’s cook Ricardo Thomas, was confirmed dead by the Italian coast guard. Lynch’s wife, Angela Bacares, was among the 15 people rescued.
Renato Schifani, president of the Sicily region, visited a children’s hospital in Palermo on Monday to see a one-year-old British girl and her parents, who were both rescued from the ship.
“I send my condolences to all those involved and their families, but we are also here today to testify that the solidarity and commitment of medical staff and Civil Protection volunteers is a valuable resource for our communities,” Schifani said in a statement, according to a Google translation.
Those on board the plane are believed to be employees and associates of Lynch, the 59-year-old founder of enterprise software company Autonomy.
Lynch was embroiled in a Protracted legal battle with Hewlett-Packard after the US tech giant accused him of inflating the value of Autonomy in its $11 billion sale of the company.
He was extradited from Britain to the United States. last year to go to trial on HP’s allegations. In June, Lynch was acquitted of fraud charges. after three months of testing.
— CNBC’s Ryan Browne contributed to this article.
